Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez Needs a Rest to Return to His Best

Despite being eliminated from the Champions League, there were many positives from Arsenal’s performance in Monaco. They scored twice against the meanest defence in Europe and came tantalisingly close to a remarkable comeback. However, on a night that gave Arsenal significant cause for optimism, there was one major concern: the performance of Alexis Sanchez.

Alexis has been the undoubted star of Arsenal’s season. He has had an enormous impact in English football, scoring 19 times in an outstanding debut season.

However, that sheen is beginning to fade somewhat. At Stade Louis II, little came off for him. He found himself dribbling down blind alleys and was even harshly booked for a supposed dive. This performance follows a wasteful display at Old Trafford and an ineffective appearance against West Ham United, when he found himself withdrawn around the hour mark.

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The tendency to lose the ball is not new: Alexis’ game has always trodden a tightrope between risk and reward. He tries things others wouldn’t and sometimes that results in failure. The difference is that the goals that offset those irritations have ceased to flow.

Alexis has now scored just once in his last 11 appearances. It’s clear he’s enduring something of a slump.

The goals drying up has coincided with the return to prominence of both Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud. It would be overstating the case to say the trio are incompatible, but it’s clear both players like to operate in the central spaces Alexis exploited so effectively in the early part of the season. With Giroud operating as the team’s focal point and Ozil on playmaking duties, the Chilean can sometimes appear a peripheral figure, confined to the wing more often than he might like.

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However, given time, those players are intelligent enough to develop an understanding that suits all parties. Of greater concern is the fact that Alexis is in danger of running himself in to the ground.

It’s not surprising that Alexis looks drained compared to the rest of the Arsenal attack. The likes of Giroud, Ozil and Theo Walcott have all had prolonged absences from the team due to injury. That gave them a vital chance to recharge their batteries.

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Alexis, on the other hand, has been played to the point of exhaustion. He has started 39 games this season—more than any other player in the squad. Given how much ground he covers in a single match, fatigue is not only understandable, it’s inevitable.

This seems like an opportune time to give him a rest. Arsenal’s next Premier League game sees them travel to Newcastle United, and Wenger could opt to use Walcott and Danny Welbeck in the wide positions instead of his weary summer signing. 

There then follows an international break, in which Chile are due to face Iran and Brazil in Austria and London respectively. Wenger must be sorely tempted to try to convince Alexis to concoct an excuse to avoid international duty. However, the former Barcelona man is famous for his voracious appetite for football. He will be desperate to represent his country, especially seeing as the match with Brazil takes place at the Emirates Stadium.

The likelihood of Alexis completing 180 minutes for Chile makes it all the more necessary to rest him at Newcastle. He might not like having to sit out a couple of games, but it’s undoubtedly for his own good.

Wenger must protect Alexis now if he is to make a positive contribution to the climax to the Gunners’ season. Arsenal’s brightest star is in severe danger of burning out.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.